System, method and apparatus for building operations management

ABSTRACT

A system, method and apparatus for integrated building operations management. Nodes in the sensor network can be configured to interface with a building control system to exchange sensor-related information.

This application is a continuation-in-part of non-provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/926,089, filed Oct. 29, 2015, which is acontinuation-in-part of non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/871,014,filed Sep. 30, 2015, which is a continuation-in-part of non-provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/710,170, filed May 12, 2015. Non-provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/710,170 claims the benefit of and priority toprovisional application No. 61/992,307, filed May 13, 2014, and toprovisional application No. 62/136,959, filed Mar. 23, 2015. Each of theabove-identified applications is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates generally to sensor applications,including a system, method and apparatus for integrated buildingoperations management.

Introduction

Sensors can be used to monitor various conditions at a monitoredlocation such as a building. In one example, sensors can be used tomonitor physical environment conditions such as temperature, humidity,and air quality. In another example, sensors can be used to monitorphysical environment conditions such as consumption of a particularutility (e.g., power). The application of sensors within the buildingcontext is growing as the utility provided by such monitoring expands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features can be obtained, a more particular descriptionwill be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only typical embodiments and are not therefore to be consideredlimiting of its scope, the disclosure describes and explains withadditional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of integrating sensors with acontrol system.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a node in a sensor network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a bridge unit.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of a bridge unit interfacingwith an external controller.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of a sensor network nodephysically attached to a set of bridge units.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of a housing of a sensornetwork node that exposes connector interfaces.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment of a housing of a bridge unit.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a gateway.

FIG. 9 illustrates an overview of an example configuration of a sensornetwork platform for the collection of data.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example embodiment of an interaction by a networknode device interfacing with an external controller.

FIG. 11 illustrates an overview of an example configuration of a sensornetwork platform for the presentation of data.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example embodiment of an interaction by a networknode device interfacing with a control system.

FIG. 13 provides an example illustration of an operation of a sensornetwork that collects sensor data and presents sensor information to acontrol system.

FIG. 14 provides an example illustration of an operation of a sensornetwork that receives control data from a control system and presentscontrol information to an actuator device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are discussed in detail below. While specificimplementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is donefor illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant artwill recognize that other components and configurations may be usedwithout parting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

A Building Management System (BMS) is an example of a computer-basedcontrol system installed in a building. In general, a computer-basedcontrol system can monitor and control some aspect of a building'sfunctionality. A BMS, for example, can be designed to monitor andcontrol the building's mechanical and electrical equipment such asventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and securitysystems. Other examples of computer-based control systems installed in abuilding include a Building Automation System (BAS), a FacilityManagement Systems (FMS), an Energy Management Systems (EMS), aMaintenance Management System (MMS), or any other control systeminstalled in a building that can leverage input information based onsensor measurements.

A building control system such as a BMS is a combination of hardware andsoftware and is typically proprietary. For example, a BMS can beinstalled during the building construction phase as it is tied in withthe installation of extensive mechanical, HVAC, electrical, and plumbingsystems. Due in part to its scale of operation, the BMS is often rigidlyconfigured or incomplete in its reach. This results because the BMS maynot be installed with the sufficient level of granularity to enablefine-tuning of its operation to meet the particular needs of a buildingsite. Further problematic is the prohibitive expense of adjusting ormodifying the proprietary BMS. In general, the BMS can be inflexible inadapting to the dynamic nature of the on-site needs as the buildingusage evolves over time. This can be especially true when consideringthe need for increasing the number of sensors at a building site.

The reach of a control system can be incomplete because a plurality ofsensors may not yet be integrated with the control system. This lack ofintegration can result from the inflexibility of the control system inadapting to the changing sensor application needs at the monitoredlocation. In the example of a BMS, the changing sensor application needscan represent the addition of new sensors in a building that respond tonew government regulations, that respond to sensor needs in newlocations, that respond to new tenant requirements, that incorporate newsensor technology, that incorporate new sensor interfaces, or thatachieves any new sensor objective that is beyond the scope of the BMS asinitially installed or currently operated. As noted, BMS installationscan be inflexible and require significant expense to modify or otherwiseadjust its operation. This significant expense will often preclude theintegration of sensors with the BMS, thereby reducing the overall returnon the original investment in the BMS.

In the present disclosure, it is recognized that a sensor networkplatform can be used to augment the existing functionality of a buildingcontrol system at a monitored location. FIG. 1 illustrates an exampleembodiment. In the example embodiment, gateway device 121 is installedat monitored location 100 with a network connection with operationcenter 130 located external to monitored location 100. This networkconnection can be embodied in various forms depending upon theparticular characteristics of monitored location 100. For example, wheremonitored location 100 is a building in a developed area, then thenetwork connection can be facilitated by a wired Internet connection viaan Internet service provider (ISP). Where monitored location 100 is aremote physical area (or movable area), then the network connection canbe facilitated by a terrestrial-based or satellite-based wirelessnetwork. Here, it should be noted that multiple gateways can be used ata particular monitored location, wherein each gateway supports adifferent set of sensors and has a separate network connection to anoperation center.

In general, a monitored location can represent any area where one ormore sensors are deployed. The monitored location may or may notrepresent a physical area having clearly defined boundaries. As would beappreciated, the extent of the sensor application itself provides asense of boundary to the monitored location. In one example, themonitored location can represent a building such as a home, hotel,industrial facility, school, hospital, community building, stadium,airport, convention center, warehouse, office building, mall, shoppingcenter, data center, multi-dwelling unit, or other defined buildingstructure. In another example, the monitored location can represent anarea of control such as a vehicle or container in any mode of transport,an asset collection area, a construction zone, or any monitored areathat can be fixed or movable. In yet another example, the monitoredlocation can represent an area proximate to an article, device, personor other item of interest upon which one or more sensors are attached.

Gateway device 121 can communicate with a plurality of sensor networknodes 122 ₁-122 _(N), wherein each sensor network node can support oneor more non-integrated sensors. Sensor network nodes 122 _(n) cancommunicate with gateway 121 via wired or wireless communication. Toillustrate the various ways that a sensor network node can support oneor more sensors, consider the example of sensor network node 122 ₁.First, one or more sensors (S) can be integrated with sensor networknode 122 ₁. Second, one or more sensors can be supported by bridge unit(BU) 140, which can be configured for attachment to sensor network node122 ₁. Third, one or more sensors can be supported by bridge unit 150,which communicates with an external controller 160 that supports one ormore sensors 170. In one embodiment, communication between a bridge unitand an external controller can be based on an industry-defined protocol.For example, the interface can be based on Modbus, BACnet, LonWorks, orany other industry-defined interface specification.

Whether from internal sensors or from sensors supported by one or morebridge units attached to a sensor network node, data based on sensormeasurements can be collected by a sensor network node and transmittedto operation center 130 for storage in a database. As an example, sensornetwork node 122 ₁ can collect data based on measurements by sensorsintegrated with sensor network node 122 ₁, can collect data based onmeasurements by sensors supported by bridge unit 140, and can collectdata based on measurements by sensors supported by bridge unit 150. Thecollected data based on measurements by these various supported sensorscan be transmitted to operation center 130 via gateway 121. Operationcenter 130 can then store the collected data in a database forsubsequent retrieval and visualization of physical conditions at themonitored location.

The data collected by sensor network node 122 ₁ can represent sensordata that has not been integrated with control system 111. This lack ofintegration can lead to fractured building operations because it isbased on an incomplete set of sensor data. In one embodiment, operationcenter 130 can be configured to process the collected sensor data toproduce customized sensor information based on the non-integratedsensors for presentation to a known interface supported by controlsystem 111. In general, the customized sensor information can bedesigned to produce actionable information for use by control system 111as part of a unified, integrated building operations process.

In one example, the customized information can represent sensormeasurement data that has been conditioned for use by control system111. In one scenario, operation center 130 can smooth a stream of sensordata by presenting a moving average of sensor data. The smoothed orotherwise conditioned data can prevent control system 111 fromperforming unwarranted response actions upon the occurrence of spurioussensor data readings.

In another example, operation center 130 can be configured to transformmultiple sensor data values into a transformed data value. In onescenario, operation center 130 can generate a power measurement datavalue based on a voltage measurement data value and a currentmeasurement data value. Here, it should be noted that operation center130 can be configured to perform complex conversion functions that maynot be supported by a device that performed the sensor measurements.

In yet another example, operation center 130 can be configured totransform multiple sensor data values into information reflective ofcustom analytics. In a simple scenario, operation center 130 can beconfigured to analyze collected sensor data relative to a thresholdvalue. This alert function can be applied to a single stream ofcollected data. In a more complex scenario, an alert function can bedefined that analyzes a composite of multiple data values. For example,the alert function can analyze a moving average, a rate of change, orany factor inclusive of multiple data values to determine whether analert should be triggered. In one scenario, the custom analytics can beconfigured to monitor the operation of equipment at a monitored locationto determine whether a maintenance action should be scheduled. As wouldbe appreciated, these examples are not intended to be limiting of thescope of the present disclosure. In general, the particular form of thealert function would be implementation dependent. Operation center 130can be configured to process collected data to produce any form or typeof information needed by control system 111. Thus, the particularprocessing performed by operation center 130 would be dependent on theneeds and capabilities of control system 111 and the sensor applicationimplemented.

The processing of collected sensor data can produce customized sensorinformation for presentation to control system 111. The customizedsensor information can be transmitted by operation center 130 to gateway121. Gateway 121 can then forward the customized sensor information tosensor network node 122 ₂ via the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure. Sensor network node 122 ₂ can be configured to interfacewith control system 111 via bridge unit 180 to present the customizedinformation to control system 111 through a supporting interfacecontroller 190 (e.g., Modbus, BACnet, or other building communicationprotocol) for control system 111.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of a sensor network node thatcan provide varied support for one or more sensors. As illustrated,sensor network node 200 includes transceiver 220, which can supportwired or wireless communication. The use of wireless communicationenables sensor network node 200 to be installed at locations that areremote from the network infrastructure used by the control system. Inone embodiment, a plurality of sensor network nodes can form a wirelessmesh network using the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol. This wireless meshnetwork enables sensor network node 200 to communicate with a gateway oranother sensor network node that operates as a relay between sensornetwork node 200 and the gateway. Where wired communication issupported, sensor network node 200 can be configured to communicate withanother sensor network node, a gateway or an operation center.

Controller 210 can collect data based on measurements by a plurality ofsensors 240 ₁-240 _(N) that are contained within or otherwise supportedby sensor network node 200. In one embodiment, the plurality of sensors240 ₁-240 _(N) integrated with sensor network node 200 can include atemperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air quality (e.g., CO₂)sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, a battery voltage sensor, or anyother sensor that can be supported by sensor network node 200. Ingeneral, the plurality of sensors 240 ₁-240 _(N) can facilitatemonitoring of the physical environment at that part of the monitoredlocation, including the health and/or status of sensor network node 200.

A sensor network node can also collect sensor measurements from one ormore sensors via bridge units. As illustrated in FIG. 2, controller 210can collect data from a set of bridge units that are connected to sensornetwork node 200 via one or more of a plurality of universal sensorinterfaces 230 ₁-230 _(N). Each universal sensor interface 230 _(n) cansupport the connection of sensor network node 200 with a separate bridgeunit. The plug-and-play universal sensor interface facilitates theseparation of the sensor network node communication infrastructure fromthe set of one or more bridge units that are deployed at the location atwhich the supporting sensor network node is installed. This separationcreates significant flexibility in providing customized sensorapplication solutions after installation of the control system.

Universal sensor interfaces 230 _(n) can represent a combination ofhardware and software. The hardware portion of a universal sensorinterfaces 230 _(n) can include a wired interface that enablescommunication of different signals between sensor network node 200 and aconnected bridge unit. In one example, the wired interface can beenabled through a connector interface, which is exposed by the housingof sensor network node 200, and that is configured to receive a bridgeunit connector via removable, pluggable insertion.

In one embodiment, the wired interface can be based on a SerialPeripheral Interface (SPI) bus. In one example, the wired interfaceenables six connections: supply, ground, data in, data out, clock, anddevice select. The device select connection can be unique to each wiredinterface and can enable controller 210 in sensor network node 200 toselect the particular bridge unit with which sensor network node 200desires to communicate.

The software portion of a universal sensor interface 230 _(n) caninclude a protocol that allows sensor network node 200 to communicatewith a bridge unit. In one example protocol, controller 210 can beconfigured to poll the various universal sensor interfaces 230 ₁-230_(N) to determine whether any bridge units are connected. As part ofthis protocol, controller 210 can first request a sensor ID from abridge unit. If the response read is “0”, then controller 210 would knowthat no bridge unit is connected to that universal sensor interface 230_(n). If, on the other hand, the response read is not “0”, thencontroller 210 would ask for the number of data values that have to beretrieved and the number of bits on which the data values are coded. Inone example, the higher order 8-bits of a 16-bit communication betweencontroller 210 and a bridge unit identifies the number of data values,while the lower order 8-bits of the 16-bit communication identifies thenumber of bits used to code each data value. Based on the number of datavalues to be retrieved, controller 210 would then collect that number ofdata values.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a bridge unit configured forattachment to a sensor network node, an example of which was describedwith reference to FIG. 2. As illustrated, bridge unit 300 includescontroller 310, which communicates over a universal sensor interfacewith a supporting sensor network node. In one embodiment, bridge unit300 supports the universal sensor interface with a connector 320configured for pluggable, removable insertion into a correspondingconnector interface exposed by the supporting sensor network node. Inanother embodiment, the bridge unit can be coupled to the connectorinterface exposed by the supporting sensor network node via a connectorattached to a cable.

Bridge unit 300 can support a plurality of sensors 330 ₁-330 _(N) suchas a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air quality (e.g., CO₂)sensor, a light sensor, a sound sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a pulsesensor, a current sensor, a voltage sensor, or any other sensor that canbe incorporated in bridge unit 300. Additionally, one or more of theplurality of sensors 330 ₁-330 _(N) can generate sensor data based oninputs received from an external sensor element. For example, a pulsesensor in bridge unit 300 can be configured to receive pulse signalinputs from an external sensor element and can translate the pulsesignal inputs into sensor data. As would be appreciated, one or more ofthe plurality of sensors 330 ₁-330 _(N) can be configured to operate onany type of input signals generated by an external sensor element. Invarious examples, the signal inputs can be generated by external sensorelements that support an occupancy sensor application, a radiationsensor application, a contact sensor application, a flow sensorapplication, a resource consumption application, a credential sensorapplication, or any other type of sensor application configured tomeasure a characteristic associated with a physical environment of apart of the monitored location.

Bridge unit 300 can also support one or more sensors via an interface ofthe bridge unit with an external controller. Referring back to theexample illustration of FIG. 1, this scenario is illustrated by bridgeunit 150 interfacing with external controller 160, which supports one ormore sensors 170 and by bridge unit 180 interfacing with externalcontroller 190 that is part of control system 111. As noted, theinterface between a bridge unit and an external controller can be basedon an industry-defined protocol such as Modbus, BACnet, LonWorks, or anyother industry-defined interface specification. It should also be notedthat an external controller can be integrated with one or more sensorsand/or can support the one or more sensors via a further interface.

With reference to the example embodiment of FIG. 3, bridge unit 300 caninclude interface section 340 to support the interface with an externalcontroller. Interface section 340 can include an interface controller341 that can be configured to communicate with a corresponding externalcontroller that provides support for one or more sensors. For example,interface section 340 can be configured to communicate with anenergy-monitoring meter having voltage and current sensors that can beused to determine energy-related data such as kWh, kW peak demand, powerfactor per phase, amps per phase and volts per phase. In this example,interface controller 341 can read data from the energy-monitoring meterusing the industry-defined interface. In one scenario, the read data caninclude a plurality of sensor information 342 ₁-342 _(N) as well as oneor more elements of additional information 343. As would be appreciated,the one or more elements of additional information 343 can relate to theinterface, one or more sensors, the meter, the application, or anyinformation relevant to the resulting connection of the meter to thebridge unit. In one embodiment, the functionality performed by interfacecontroller 341 can be performed by controller 310. As such, bridge unitcan include a single controller to support the interface with asupporting sensor network node and the interface with the externalcontroller.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of a bridge unit interfacingwith an external device that supports one or more sensors. As would beappreciated, Modbus, BACnet, LonWorks, or any other industry-definedinterface can be used between the bridge unit and an externalcontroller.

In one example, the Modbus protocol defines a message structure andformat used in communication transactions. In a Modbus RTUimplementation, Modbus devices can communicate using a master-slavemethod, in which only the master device can initiate a communicationstransaction with a slave device. A Modbus slave device can holdaccessible data in addressable registers. A Modbus slave can contain oneor more of four groups of data, including Coil status, Input status,Input registers and Holding registers. A Coil status is a single-bitflag that can represent the status of a digital output of the slave, anInput status is a single-bit flag that can represent the status of adigital input of the slave, an Input register is a 16-bit register thatcan store data collected by the slave device, and a Holding register isa 16-bit register that can store general-purpose data in the slavedevice. The various status and registers can be accessed through aspecification of a data address (and range) of interest. A Modbusmessage can include a device address, function code (e.g., read/writeHolding register), and the data address or range of addresses.

In another example, the BACnet protocol represents data in terms ofobjects, properties and services. An object can represent a collectionof information that can be uniquely identified and accessed over anetwork in a standardized way. For example, an object can represent acollection of information about a physical input or output. Every objecthas an identifier that allows the BACnet system to identify it. Theobject's collection of information can represent a number of prescribedproperties of the object. An object can be monitored and controlledthrough its properties. For example, the present-value property of anobject can represent a current sensor measurement value, while the unitsproperty can identify the units of that sensor measurement value.Finally, a service is the mechanism that is used to access a property orrequest an action from a BACnet object. Services are how one BACnetdevice gets information from another device, commands a device toperform certain actions, or communicates events to other objects.

A bridge unit can be designed to support a particular data communicationprotocol. As illustrated in FIG. 4, bridge unit 410 includes controller411, an example of which was described with reference to controller 310in FIG. 3, and protocol interface 412. Protocol interface 412 caninclude a controller and interface hardware that enables bridge unit 410to interface with external device 430 using a particular datacommunication protocol.

In one embodiment, bridge unit 410 can operate as a requesting devicewhile external device 430 can operate as a responding device. Therequests and responses would be facilitated by the data communicationprotocol. In one example, bridge unit 410 can be configured to transmitrequests for sensor-related data from external device 430, which canrepresent a sensor, meter, control system, or other device that supportsthe data communication protocol. In one embodiment, the interfacebetween bridge unit 410 and external device 430 can be a serialinterface. In another embodiment, the interface between bridge unit 410and external device 430 can be enabled by a TCP/IP network.

The configuration of bridge unit 410 as a requesting device can be basedon configuration settings stored in a database of the operation center.In one embodiment, the configuration settings for bridge unit 410 can bestored in accordance with an identifier based on a gateway identifier, asensor network node identifier, and a port identifier, wherein the portidentifier references a particular connector interface of the sensornetwork node to which bridge unit 410 is connected. Based on theconfiguration settings stored in the database, the operation center cangenerate one or more configuration packets for transmission to thesupporting sensor network node via the gateway. The configurationpackets can be used by the supporting sensor network node to configurethe operation of bridge unit 410 as a requesting device attached to theparticular port of the supporting sensor network node.

In another embodiment, bridge unit 410 can operate as a respondingdevice while external device 430 can operate as a requesting device. Therequests and responses would be facilitated by the data communicationprotocol. In one example, bridge unit 410 can be configured to respondto requests for sensor-related data from external device 430, which canrepresent a control system or other device that supports the datacommunication protocol.

The configuration of bridge unit 410 as a responding device can be basedon configuration settings stored in a database of the operation center.In one embodiment, the configuration settings for bridge unit 410 can bestored in accordance with an identifier based on a gateway identifier, asensor network node identifier, and a port identifier, wherein the portidentifier references a particular connector interface of the sensornetwork node to which bridge unit 410 is connected. Based on theconfiguration settings stored in the database, the operation center cangenerate one or more configuration packets for transmission to thesupporting sensor network node via the gateway. The configurationpackets can be used by the supporting sensor network node to configurethe operation of bridge unit 410 as a responding device attached to theparticular port of the supporting sensor network node.

In this embodiment, bridge unit 410 can be configured to emulate adevice that can respond to a particular data communication protocolrequest. From one perspective, bridge unit 410 can function as a type ofproxy. In this context, bridge unit 410 can stand in the place ofanother device in presenting information to the requesting device. Theinformation that bridge unit 410 presents to the requesting device canbe received from the operation center or another sensor network node. Assuch, the information provided to bridge unit 410 can be based on sensordata generated by another device, such as by sensors supported byanother sensor network node. In various examples, the information canrepresent sensor data collected by another sensor network node, sensordata that has been processed or otherwise converted by the operationcenter, information generated by analytics performed by the operationcenter (e.g., alerts, alarms, status, control actions, or other deriveddata), or any other information useful to the requesting device.

As has been described, a bridge unit can collect sensor-related datafrom a plurality of sensors in a variety of ways, and can presentsensor-related data to a requesting device. The bridge unit cancommunicate with a sensor network node via a universal interface.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example data flow between a sensor network nodeand a plurality of bridge units. As illustrated, sensor network node 500interfaces with a plurality of bridge units, including bridge unit 520₁, bridge unit 520 ₂, . . . , and bridge unit 520 _(N). Connectors ofbridge unit 520 ₁, bridge unit 520 ₂, . . . , and bridge unit 520 _(N)are each physically attached to separate connector interfaces exposed bythe housing of sensor network node 500.

The attachment of bridge unit 520 ₁ to sensor network node 500 enablescommunication of data between controller 521 ₁ and controller 510, theattachment of bridge unit 520 ₂ to sensor network node 500 enablescommunication of data between controller 521 ₂ and controller 510, . . ., and the attachment of bridge unit 520 _(N) to sensor network node 500enables communication of data between controller 521 _(N) and controller510. By these attachments, each of bridge units 520 ₁, 520 ₂, . . . ,and 520 _(N) can be coupled to sensor network node 500 via a universalsensor interface having the connectivity characteristics describedabove. The plug-and-play nature of the connection of bridge units to asupporting sensor network node facilitates a modular framework for thecollection of sensor data at a monitored location.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of a housing of a sensornetwork node such as the example illustration of sensor network node 200in FIG. 2. As illustrated, sensor network node 600 can have a housingconfigured to expose a plurality of connector interfaces 610. Each ofthe plurality of connector interfaces 610 can support the physicalattachment of a single bridge unit. In the example illustration, eachside of the housing of sensor network node 600 exposes a singleconnector interface 610. The housing of the sensor network node can besubstantially larger than the housing of the bridge unit. This canresult, for example, because sensor network node 600 can be designedwith additional components such as an internal power source (e.g.,battery) that can involve additional volume requirements as compared tothe bridge units. It is therefore recognized that one embodiment of asensor network node can have multiple bridge units physically attachedto a single side of the sensor network node.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example embodiment of a housing of a bridge unitsuch as the example illustration of bridge unit 300 in FIG. 3. Asillustrated, bridge unit 700 can have a housing configured to expose aconnector 710. Connector 710 can be configured for pluggable, removableinsertion into a corresponding connector interface 610 exposed by thehousing of sensor network node 600. The connection of bridge unit 700 tosensor network node 600 via the insertion of connector 710 intoconnector interface 610 produces a true plug-and-play framework for thedeployment of a sensor network at a monitored location.

Sensor network nodes can be rapidly deployed throughout a monitoredlocation to facilitate the integration of the sensor network with acontrol system. One of the challenges of operating a sensor network isensuring sensor data retention when disruptions in the sensor networkoccur. As described above with reference to FIG. 2, data collected bycontroller 210 based on measurements by one or more sensors supported bysensor network node 200 can be transmitted back to the gateway via thesensor network node communication infrastructure using transceiver 220.In one embodiment, sensor network node 200 includes storage memory 250(e.g., SRAM) that can be used to backup collected sensor data when thedata memory capacity of controller 210 is exceeded. In one scenario,this can occur when communication through the sensor network nodecommunication infrastructure has been disrupted. For example, thegateway, or other sensor network node that operates as a relay, canmalfunction, have poor link quality, or otherwise have diminishedcapacity that prevents effective operation as part of the sensor networknode communication infrastructure. In one embodiment, sensor networknode 200 can also include a backup battery (not shown) that enablessensor network node 200 to continue to function should wall power bedisrupted due to a power outage, unplugged event, or other event thataffects an external power supply for sensor network node 200. It shouldbe noted that sensor network node 200 can also be configured to operateprimarily using a battery.

In one embodiment, controller 210 can be configured to detect whencommunication via the sensor network node communication infrastructurehas been disrupted (e.g., loss of signal, poor link quality, or otherloss of connectivity indicator), and to write collected sensor data tostorage memory 250 for backup storage. In one embodiment, storage memory250 can be sized such that sensor network node 200 can continue tobackup collected sensor data for a defined period of time (e.g., oneday) that can cover reasonable expectations of potential vulnerabilitiesand recovery scenarios of the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure.

The backup of collected sensor data to storage memory 250 during adisruption of the sensor network node communication infrastructureensures that all collected sensor data is retained. Loss of collectedsensor data is thereby prevented. The data retention afforded by storagememory 250 can be critical to ensuring that the monitoring applicationcan perform its analytics on a complete set of collected sensor data.

In one embodiment, the collected sensor data is stored along withtimestamp information. As would be appreciated, the timestampinformation can relate to a time the sensor data was generated, a timethe sensor information was received at sensor network node 200, or anyother time associated with the flow of sensor data to network sensornetwork node 200.

The gateway at the monitored location can also be configured to operatesimilarly to the sensor network node with respect to data retention.FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a gateway. As illustrated,gateway 800 includes controller 810, transceiver 820 ₁ that supports anetwork connection with the operation center, and transceiver 820 ₂ thatsupports communication with the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure. In a manner similar to a sensor network node, gateway800 can also collect data based on measurements by a plurality ofsensors 840 ₁-840 _(N) that are contained within or otherwise supportedby a housing of gateway 800. Gateway 800 can also collect data from abridge unit that is connected to gateway 800 via universal sensorinterface 830. In one embodiment, gateway 800 includes a singleuniversal sensor interface 830 for limited expandability as compared tosensor network nodes.

In one embodiment, gateway 800 includes storage memory 850 (e.g., SDCard) that can be used to backup collected sensor data when the datamemory capacity of controller 810 is exceeded. In one scenario, this canoccur when communication through the network connection has beendisrupted. In one embodiment, gateway 800 can also include a backupbattery (not shown) that enables gateway 800 to continue to functionshould wall power be disrupted due to a power outage, unplugged event,or other event that affects an external power supply for gateway 800.

In one embodiment, controller 810 can be configured to detect whennetwork communication with the operation center has been disrupted, andto write collected sensor data to storage memory 850 for backup storage.In one embodiment, storage memory 850 can be sized such that gateway 800can continue to backup collected sensor data for a defined period oftime (e.g., one week) that can cover reasonable expectations ofpotential vulnerabilities and recovery scenarios of the networkconnection.

The backup of collected sensor data to storage memory 850 during adisruption of the network connection ensures that all collected sensordata from the supported sensor network nodes at the monitored locationis retained. Loss of collected sensor data is thereby prevented. Thedata retention afforded by storage memory 850 can be critical toensuring that the monitoring application can perform its analytics on acomplete set of collected sensor data. In a manner similar to the sensornetwork node, the collected sensor data can be stored at the gatewayalong with timestamp information. As would be appreciated, the timestampinformation can relate to a time the sensor data was generated, a timethe sensor information was received at the sensor network node, a timethe sensor information was received at gateway 800, or any other timeassociated with the flow of sensor data to gateway 800.

As noted, the sensor network platform of the present disclosure can beintegrated with a control system at a monitored location. FIG. 9illustrates an overview of an example configuration of a sensor networkplatform. In this illustration, assume that device 960 supports acommunication interface based on an industry-defined protocol such asModbus, BACnet, LonWorks, or any other industry-defined interfacespecification. In various embodiments, device 960 can incorporate one ormore sensors directly or can be connected to further devices thatincorporate one or more sensors. Regardless of the particular mechanismof supporting one or more sensors, device 960 can be configured toprovide a controller function that enables an interface to the one ormore sensors. An example of such a controller function was illustratedby the external controllers in the context of the high-level overview ofFIG. 1.

The sensor network platform, which includes gateway device 921, sensornetwork node 922, and bridge unit 940, can provide a mechanism forestablishing communication between operation center 930 and device 960.While the example embodiment described above includes a bridge unitphysically attached to a sensor network node via a plug-and-playuniversal interface, such an example is not intended to be limiting. Inanother embodiment, the functionally of a bridge unit and a sensornetwork node can be incorporated into an integrated network node device.

Bridge unit 940 can be designed to support the particular communicationinterface supported by device 960. Requests originated by bridge unit940 to collect particular sensor data from device 960 and/or to presentparticular control information to device 960 can be remotely configured.Both the collection of particular sensor data and the presentation ofparticular control information is performed by bridge unit 940 on behalfof operation center 930. In this embodiment, operation center 930 wouldnot directly interact with device 960 to collect particular sensor dataand/or to present particular control information. In this framework,bridge unit 940 can continue to originate a collection of particularsensor data from device 960 and/or to originate a presentation ofparticular control information to device 960 when communication betweenoperation center 930 and network node 922 has been disrupted.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, configuration information can be transmittedfrom operation center 930 to gateway 921 via the network connection,then can be transmitted from gateway 921 to network node 922 via thesensor network node communication infrastructure. In one embodiment, theconfiguration information is based on configuration settings that arestored in a database of operation center 930.

The configuration information received by sensor network node 922 can beused to configure the requests to be transmitted by bridge unit 940 todevice 960. Where the request relates to the collection of particularsensor data, device 960 would return a response back to bridge unit 940that includes the requested sensor data. The sensor data can then betransmitted by sensor network node 922 to operation center 930 viagateway 921. Where the request relates to the presentation of particularcontrol information, device 960 would generate one or more controlactions based on the control information contained within the request.

Having described a general framework for the configuration of requestsin a sensor network node, a detailed description of an exampleinteraction by a network node device with an external controller is nowprovided with reference to FIG. 10. In this example embodiment, networknode device 1090 can represent the functionality produced by thecombination of a sensor network node and a bridge unit. As noted above,network node device 1090 can be implemented as two separate devices thatare physically attached, or can represent a single integrated device.

Network node device 1090 can be configured using configuration packetsthat are transmitted to network node device 1090. In general,configuration packets can be used to configure the operation of networknode device 1090 in originating periodic communication transactions withdevice 1060. In one example, the one or more configuration packets canbe used to establish a plurality of collection request definitions(CR₁-CR_(N)), wherein a particular collection request definition(CR_(n)) includes information that enables network node device tooriginate a collection request for transmission to device 1060.

In one example of a Modbus interface, the information can include thebaud rate, the endianness, a device address of device 1060, a functioncode (e.g., read/write), an address (or range of addresses) in requestmap 1062 of device 1060, and any other configuration informationrelevant to forming a Modbus request. In one example of a BACnetinterface, the information can include the baud rate, parityinformation, service type (e.g., read property), address, deviceidentifier, object identifier, property identifier, and any otherconfiguration information relevant to forming a BACnet request. As wouldbe appreciated, the particular configuration information needed tooriginate a request transaction would be dependent on the particularinterface supported between the network node device and the externaldevice.

In one embodiment, the configuration packets can also be used to specifya request interval for initiation of one or more collection requestsbased on one or more stored collection request definitions (CR₁-CR_(N)).The specified request interval can identify a length of time between thetransmission of collection requests based on a particular collectionrequest definition CR_(n). For example, a request interval can bespecified such that collection requests based on the same collectionrequest definition CR_(n) are transmitted every X minutes. Thisframework can be useful where sensor data based on measurements by oneor more sensors supported by device 1060 are needed every X minutes.

As would be appreciated, a request interval can be defined forapplication to a single collection request or can be defined forapplication to a group of collection requests. The particular requestinterval chosen would be dependent on the particular sensor applicationneeds. In one example, a first request interval can be defined for afirst set of one or more collection requests used to obtain first sensordata based on measurements by a first set of one or more sensors, whilea second request interval can be defined for a second set of one or morecollection requests used to obtain second sensor data based onmeasurements by a second set of one or more sensors. In general, aplurality of request intervals can be defined that enables a customizedlevel of resolution granularity for different sets of sensor data basedon measurements by one or more sensors.

In an example embodiment where the network node device is a combineddevice produced through the attachment of a bridge unit to a sensornetwork node, the collection request definitions (CR₁-CR_(N)) can bestored in the bridge unit, while the request interval(s) can be storedin the sensor network node. In this example, the sensor network node cangenerate a control signal when a new request is needed. The controlsignal would then be used to trigger the generation of a collectionrequest based on a collection request definition CR_(n) stored in thebridge unit. As would be appreciated, the particular form of the controlsignal would be implementation dependent. For example, where the bridgeunit is in a sleep state between requests, the control signal caninclude a signal (e.g., pulling a pin HI) that can wake up the bridgeunit. In another example, the control signal can also includeinformation that enables identification, by the bridge unit, of theparticular collection requests that should be generated for thatparticular request interval. This further specification of a subset ofthe collection requests for execution in a request interval would beneeded if multiple request intervals have been defined. In oneembodiment, the bridge unit can also be configured to send a message tothe sensor network node that the bridge unit has sensor data to bedelivered to the sensor network node.

The origination and transmission of a collection request based on astored collection request definition CR_(n) is designed to retrievedesired sensor data from device 1060. In a Modbus interface example, thecollection request can include a read function code and a single address(or range of addresses) that is mapped to the desired sensor data (e.g.,kWh power information). In a BACnet interface example, the collectionrequest can include a read of a particular property of a BACnet objectthat is mapped to the desired sensor data.

Device 1060 can respond to a collection request by retrieving the sensordata using request map 1062 and returning the retrieved sensor data backto network node device 1090. Each collection request based on a storedcollection request definition CR_(n) can be designed to retrievecorresponding sensor data SD_(n) using request map 1062 and to returnthe retrieved sensor data SD_(n) back to network node device 1090. Asillustrated in FIG. 10, sensor data SD_(nx) is returned in response tothe request based on the stored collection request definition CR_(n),where “x” represents the request interval. Thus, sensor data SD_(n1) isreturned in response to the collection request based on the storedcollection request definition CR_(n) in the 1^(st) request interval,sensor data SD_(n2) is returned in response to the collection requestbased on stored collection request definition CR_(n) in the 2^(nd)request interval, . . . , and sensor data SD_(nM) is returned inresponse to the collection request based on the stored collectionrequest definition CR_(n) in the M^(th) request interval.

Where multiple collection requests based on multiple stored collectionrequest definitions (CR₁-CR_(N)) are transmitted in a single requestinterval, then sensor data (SD₁₁-SD_(N1)) is returned in response to themultiple collection requests based on multiple stored collection requestdefinitions (CR₁-CR_(N)) in the 1^(st) request interval, sensor data(SD₁₂-SD_(N2)) is returned in response to the multiple collectionrequests based on multiple stored collection request definitions(CR₁-CR_(N)) in the 2^(nd) request interval, . . . , and sensor data(SD_(1M)-SD_(NM)) is returned in response to the multiple collectionrequests based on multiple stored collection request definitions(CR₁-CR_(N)) in the M^(th) request interval.

The sensor data received by network node device 1090 from device 1060can be transmitted to the gateway device as the sensor data is received.Batch transmission of the sensor data from network node device 1090 tothe gateway device is not necessarily implied based on the illustrationof FIG. 10. Batch transmission of the sensor data can be used where theimmediacy of the receipt of the sensor data by an operation center isneither necessary nor practical at that point in time.

In one example, network node device 1090 can store sensor data(SD₁₁-SD_(N1)) . . . (SD_(1M)-SD_(NM)) collected over M requestintervals in a backup memory of network node device 1090 when it isdetermined that communication over the network node communicationinfrastructure has been disrupted. The storage of sensor data in thebackup memory of network node device 1090 would continue until thedisruption in the network node communication infrastructure has beencleared. After the disruption is cleared, batch transmission of thesensor information stored in the backup memory of network node device1090 would commence. The collected sensor data is thereby retainednotwithstanding the disruption.

Here, it should be noted that network node device 1090 can continue tooriginate and transmit collection requests to monitoring device 1060during disruptions in the network node communication infrastructure.This would not be true if the requests themselves were sent over thenetwork node communication infrastructure.

FIG. 10 illustrates the correspondence of the generation of multipleinstances of a request based on a single stored collection requestdefinition CR_(n). As described, a stored collection request definitionCR_(n) can be established at network node device 1090 based on one ormore configuration packets. The one or more configuration packets canthereby effect a remote configuration process of a network node device.As the network node device can communicate with a gateway device viawireless communication, the network node device can be configured tocollect sensor data from any device installed at the monitored location.The wireless remote configuration would therefore obviate the need forincurring the time delay and expense of providing the physical cablingfor connection to the device.

In addition to the collection of sensor data, network node device 1090can also be configured to generate an action request (AR) to effect acontrol action at device 1060. Network node device 1090 can beconfigured to generate an AR based on the receipt of an action packetvia the sensor network node communication infrastructure. In oneembodiment, the action packet can include information (e.g., controlcommand) to be written to device 1060. In a Modbus interface example,the AR can include a write function code, the control information, and asingle address (or range of addresses) that is mapped to the desiredcontrol coil or register. In a BACnet interface example, the AR caninclude a write of a particular property of a BACnet object. Uponreceipt of the write request, network node device 1090 can provide thecontrol information to device 1060, wherein the control information canbe used as part of a control action process at the monitored location.As illustrated, a control action (CA) can be generated by device 1060 inresponse to the received AR.

In general, action packets can be used to enable one-off requests. Inaddition to an action request, a one-off request can also relate to aone-off collection request (e.g., to effect some form of verification).As would be appreciated, the event-based action packet can be initiatedin response to any event and can control network node device 1090 tooriginate and transmit a request to device 1060. In one embodiment, theinformation contained in an action packet can be deleted by network nodedevice 1090 after execution of the request. Further, it should be notedthat write requests can also be configured for transmission at periodicrequest intervals in a manner similar to periodic collection requests.As has been described, a bridge unit can be configured to originaterequests for delivery to an external device.

It is also recognized that a bridge unit can be configured to respond torequests. FIG. 11 illustrates an overview of an example configuration ofa bridge unit in a sensor network platform that can respond to requestsfrom a device such as an external controller of a control system. Inthis illustration, assume that device 1160 supports a communicationinterface based on an industry-defined protocol such as Modbus, BACnet,LonWorks, or any other industry-defined interface specification. Again,while the example embodiment described above included a bridge unitphysically attached to a sensor network node via a plug-and-playuniversal interface, such an example is not intended to be limiting. Inanother embodiment, the functionally of a bridge unit and a sensornetwork node can be incorporated into an integrated network node device.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the sensor network platform includes gatewaydevice 1121, sensor network node 1122, and bridge unit 1140. Bridge unit1140 can be designed to support the particular communication interfaceused by device 1160. Bridge unit 1140 can be remotely configured torespond to requests generated by device 1160. The requests can relate tothe collection of particular sensor information from bridge unit 1140and/or to present particular control data to bridge unit 1140. Both thepresentation of particular sensor information and the reception ofparticular control data can be performed by bridge unit 1140 on behalfof any device connected to the sensor network platform. An example ofsuch an emulation function was illustrated by bridge unit 180 in thecontext of the high-level overview of FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, configuration information can be transmittedfrom operation center 1130 to gateway 1121 via the network connection,then can be transmitted from gateway 1121 to network node 1122 via thesensor network node communication infrastructure. In one embodiment, theconfiguration information is based on configuration settings that arestored in a database of operation center 1130.

The configuration information received by sensor network node 1122 canbe used to configure the manner by which bridge unit 1140 would respondto requests by device 1160. Where the request relates to the collectionof particular sensor information, bridge unit 1140 would return aresponse back to device 1160 that includes the requested sensorinformation. As will be described in greater detail below, the requestedsensor information can be received by sensor network node 1122 fromoperation center 1130 via gateway 1121. In this framework, the bridgeunit can be configured to present sensor information to the controlsystem based on measurements by a sensor located anywhere in the sensornetwork. Where the request relates to the presentation of particularcontrol data, bridge unit 1140 would receive the presented control dataand transmit the presented control data to another sensor network nodeor to operation center 1130 via gateway 1121. In this framework, thebridge unit can be configured to implement controls actions anywhere inthe sensor network based on the receipt of control data from the device.

Having described a general framework for the configuration of bridgeunit 1140 in responding to requests, a detailed description of anexample interaction by a network node device with a device such as acontrol system is now provided with reference to FIG. 12. In thisexample embodiment, network node device 1290 can represent thefunctionality produced by the combination of a sensor network node and abridge unit. As noted above, network node device 1290 can be implementedas two separate devices that are physically attached, or can represent asingle integrated device.

Network node device 1290 can be remotely configured to respond torequests by device 1260. As illustrated in FIG. 12, device 1260 cangenerate a plurality of collection requests (CR₁-CR_(N)). Eachcollection request CR_(n) can represent a periodic request forparticular sensor information. As would be appreciated, a one-timerequest can represent a special case of a periodic request, wherein onlya single instance of the collection request is issued by device 1260.

Since network node device 1290 is emulating a device that generatessensor data, network node device 1290 can be configured to presentcustomized sensor information to device 1260. Configuration of networknode device 1290 can be enabled through the receipt of configurationpackets via the sensor network node communication infrastructure.Configuration information contained in the configuration packets canoriginate at the operation center, which communicates with the gatewaydevice at the monitored location via a network connection. In a generalsense, the provision of new sensor information for presentation bynetwork node device 1290 can be treated in a manner similar to theupdate of any aspect of the configuration of network node device 1290.Here, the addition of new sensor information to network node device 1290can be viewed as a change in the way that network node device 1290 wouldrespond to a collection request CR_(n) by device 1260.

As such, configuration packets can be used to provide not only thecustomized sensor information to be presented to device 1260, but alsocollection request association information that would enable networknode device 1290 to associate customized sensor information withpotential collection requests from device 1260. In general, theconfiguration packets can include any configuration information thatwould help network node device 1290 to know how to respond to aparticular request from device 1260. In FIG. 12, this association isillustrated by request map 1292, which enables network node device 1290to associate received customized sensor information with a particularreceived request.

Device 1260 can be configured to generate a plurality of collectionrequests (CR₁-CR_(N)), wherein each collection request CR_(n) canrequest one or more elements of sensor information. Each collectionrequest CR_(n) can be designed to retrieve sensor informationperiodically through the transmission by device 1260 of multipleinstances of the same collection request CR_(n). Network node device1290 would receive each instance of the collection request CR_(n),identify the sensor information SI_(n) associated with the collectionrequest CR_(n) using request map 1292, and transmit the associatedsensor information SI_(n) back to device 1260 as part of a response. Inthe illustration of FIG. 12, each one of multiple collection requests(CR₁-CR_(N)) would produce a corresponding response having associatedsensor information (SI₁-SI_(N)). Multiple instances of the collectionrequests would produce multiple instances of responses including theassociated sensor information. Thus, sensor information (SI₁₁-SI_(N1))is returned in response to the first instance of collection requests(CR₁-CR_(N)), sensor information (SI₁₂-SI_(N2)) is returned in responseto the second instance of collection requests (CR₁-CR_(N)), . . . , andsensor information (SI_(1M)-SI_(NM)) is returned in response to theM^(th) instance of collection requests (CR₁-CR_(N)).

Ideally, sensor information is always made available to network nodedevice 1290 just prior to the receipt by network node device 1290 of anassociated collection request. This condition may not always be true andis a consequence of the fact that network node device 1290 is emulatinganother device. Effectively, the collection requests submitted by device1260 are sampling sensor information that is continually changing atnetwork node device 1290. Where the configuration packets update sensorinformation at network node device 1290 more frequently than collectionrequests are received from device 1260, then some sensor informationupdates can be missed by the collection requests. This may notnecessarily be a problem because the frequency of collection requestsmay be enough to suit the needs of device 1260. Where the configurationpackets update sensor information at network node device 1290 lessfrequently than collection requests are received from device 1260, thensome sensor information returned to control system 1260 can represent“stale” sensor information that has previously been received.

In one embodiment, network node device 1290 can be configured to deletesensor information after the sensor information has been presented todevice 1260 in response to a collection request. Where new sensorinformation has not been received prior to a subsequent collectionrequest, network node device 1290 can be configured to return anexception response, which would alert device 1260 that new sensorinformation is not available. Device 1260 could then accelerate thequeuing of a new instance of the collection request for that sensorinformation. In one embodiment, network node device 1290 can also beconfigured to return an exception response when a disruption in thesensor network node infrastructure has been detected, which wouldpreclude the receipt of sensor information updates from the operationcenter.

In another embodiment, network node device 1290 could store timestampinformation with sensor information such that the time stamp informationcan be returned to device 1260 in response to a collection request. Thistimetamp information would then provide device 1260 with anunderstanding of the relative recency of the sensor information in thecontext of a stream of sensor information. As would be appreciated, thetimestamp information can relate to a time the sensor information wasgenerated, a time the sensor information was received at the operationcenter, a time the sensor information was received at network nodedevice 1290, or any other time associated with the flow of the sensorinformation to network node device 1290.

Network node device 1290 can also be configured to respond to actionrequests received from device 1260. While an action request can beproduced periodically to perform a series of repeated actions, thedescription below describes a one-off action request. As would beappreciated, periodic action requests would represent multiple instancesof the same action request and can be handled accordingly by networknode device 1290 as described below.

An action request (AR) can be transmitted to effect a control actionanywhere in the sensor network. Significantly, the particular locationof the control action can be remote from network node device 1290.Network node device 1290 happens to be a recipient of the actionrequest, but need not be the actual executor of the control action inresponse to the action request. Network node device 1290 can relaycontrol data to another sensor network node or back to the operationcenter via the gateway device, wherein the operation center can thensend control information (e.g., action packet described with referenceto FIG. 9), which is based on the control data, to another network nodedevice for execution of the control action. In one embodiment, thebridge unit can be configured to send a message to the sensor networknode that the bridge unit has received an action request to be deliveredto the sensor network node.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, one or more configuration packets can be usedto provide action request association information that would enablenetwork node device 1290 to transmit particular control data (CD) to theoperation center in response to a received action request (AR). In oneembodiment, request map 1292 can represent a memory mapping thatassociates control data to be transmitted with data requested by device1260 to be written. In one embodiment, the write request can includeinformation that enables identification of a particular actuator devicein the sensor network and an action to be taken by the actuator device.

In one embodiment, the CD that is transmitted to the operation centercan be included in an update packet that is returned to the gatewaydevice via the sensor network node communication infrastructure.Contents of the update packet can then be transmitted by the gatewaydevice to the operation center to alert the operation center of a changein the configuration of network node device 1290. The reported change inconfiguration of network node device 1290 can then produce a response bythe operation center in implementing a control action by an actuatordevice in the sensor network.

Having described an example interaction by a network node device withexternal devices, a description of an example end-to-end data flow isnow provided. FIG. 13 provides an example illustration of an operationof a sensor network that collects sensor data from device 1310 andpresents sensor information based on the collected sensor data tocontrol system 1380.

Device 1310 can generate sensor data based on measurements performed byone or more supported sensors. The generated sensor data can then bemade available to bridge unit 1320. This process is illustrated as dataflow “1”. In one example, the provision of sensor data from device 1310to bridge unit 1320 can be performed via an external interface based onan industry-defined protocol. In another example, the sensor data ismade available via intra-device communication.

Bridge unit 1320 can leverage a sensor network node communicationinfrastructure formed by a plurality of sensor network nodes tocommunicate the collected sensor data to gateway 1340. Entry into thesensor network node communication infrastructure is through sensornetwork node 1330. In one embodiment, bridge unit 1320 is attached tosensor network node 1330 via a plug-and-play universal sensor interface.The communication through the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure is illustrated as data flow “2”. The sensor network nodeinfrastructure can be based on wired and/or wireless communication, andcan include communication through one or more intervening nodes betweensensor network node 1330 and gateway 1340. In one example, the sensordata is communicated through a wireless mesh network formed by aplurality of wireless sensor network nodes.

Gateway 1340 can transmit the data received from the sensor network nodecommunication infrastructure to operation center 1350 via a networkconnection. This communication is illustrated as data flow “3”.Operation center 1350 can be located external to the monitored location.In various embodiments, the network connection can be based on wiredand/or wireless communications.

Having been transported offsite from the monitored location, thecollected sensor data can now be processed for presentation to controlsystem 1380. In one embodiment, the processing is performed by customprocessing element 1351, which can be enabled by one or more servers atoperation center 1350 under the control of configuration settingsestablished by a user. In one embodiment, the processing can include oneor more conversion functions defined by the configuration settings.These one or more conversion functions may not be supported by device1310.

In general, the customized information can be designed to produceactionable information for use by control system 1380. Operation center1350 can be configured to process collected sensor data to produce anyform or type of information needed by control system 1380. Thus, theparticular processing performed by operation center 1350 would bedependent on the needs and capabilities of control system 1380 and thesensor application implemented.

The production, by custom processing element 1351, of sensor informationfrom collected sensor data is illustrated as data flow “4”. Thecustom-processed sensor information can now be returned to the monitoredlocation for presentation to control system 1380. Operation center 1350can be configured to transmit the custom-processed sensor informationback to gateway 1340 via the network connection. This communication isillustrated as data flow “5”.

Gateway 1340 would then transmit the custom-processed sensor informationto bridge unit 1370 via the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure formed by the plurality of sensor network nodes. Thiscommunication through the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure is illustrated as data flow “6”. Again, the communicationthrough the sensor network node communication infrastructure can includecommunication through one or more intervening nodes between gateway 1340and sensor network node 1360.

The custom-processed sensor information can exit from the sensor networknode communication infrastructure through sensor network node 1360 andbe passed to bridge unit 1370. In one embodiment, bridge unit 1370 isattached to sensor network node 1470 via a plug-and-play universalsensor interface.

Bridge unit 1370 can now present the custom-processed sensor informationto control system 1480. This presentation is illustrated as data flow“7”. In one embodiment, the presentation of custom-processed sensorinformation from bridge unit 1470 to control system 1480 can beperformed via an external interface based on an industry-definedprotocol. In one example, the information (e.g., sensor data) can bepresented to control system 1380 in the context of a response to a readrequest from control system 1380. In another example, the information(e.g., control data) can be presented to control system 1380 in thecontext of a request to write information to control system 1380. As theexample data flow illustrates, custom-processed sensor information canbe generated from sensor data collected by device 1310 then presented tocontrol system 1380 through a known interface supported by controlsystem 1380.

FIG. 14 provides an example illustration of an operation of a sensornetwork that receives information from control system 1480 and canpresent control information based on the received information to device1410. In one example, the control action is based on control data thatis received by bridge unit 1470 from control system 1480. The controldata can be generated based on analytics performed by control system1480 on sensor data available to control system 1480. The generatedcontrol data can then be provided to bridge unit 1570 as part of arequest to write information to bridge unit 1470. In another example,the control action is based on sensor data that is received by bridgeunit 1470 from control system 1480 as part of a request to readinformation from control system 1480. In this example, the retrievedsensor data can be processed by customer processing 1451 in operationcenter 1450 to produce control information that can be presented todevice 1410 to initiate a control action by an actuator supported bydevice 14101.

The provision of information to bridge unit 1470 is illustrated as dataflow “1”. In one example, the provision of information from controlsystem 1480 to bridge unit 1470 can be performed via an externalinterface based on an industry-defined protocol.

Bridge unit 1470 can leverage a sensor network node communicationinfrastructure formed by a plurality of sensor network nodes tocommunicate the control data to gateway 1440. Entry into the sensornetwork node communication infrastructure is through sensor network node1460. In one embodiment, bridge unit 1470 is attached to sensor networknode 1460 via a plug-and-play universal sensor interface. Thecommunication through the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure is illustrated as data flow “2”. The sensor network nodeinfrastructure can be based on wired and/or wireless communication, andcan include communication through one or more intervening nodes betweensensor network node 1460 and gateway 1440. In one example, theinformation is communicated through a wireless mesh network formed by aplurality of wireless sensor network nodes.

Gateway 1440 can transmit the information received from the sensornetwork node communication infrastructure to operation center 1450 via anetwork connection. This communication is illustrated as data flow “3”.Operation center 1450 can be located external to the monitored location.In various embodiments, the network connection can be based on wiredand/or wireless communications.

Having been transported offsite from the monitored location, thecollected information can now be processed for presentation as controlinformation to device 1410. In one embodiment, the processing isperformed by custom processing element 1451, which can be enabled by oneor more servers at operation center 1450 under the control ofconfiguration settings established by a user. In one embodiment, theprocessing can include one or more analytic functions defined by theconfiguration settings. These one or more conversion functions may notbe supported by control system 1480. The production, by customprocessing element 1451, of control information from informationreceived from control system 1480 is illustrated as data flow “4”. Thecustom-processed control information can now be returned to themonitored location for presentation to device 1410. Operation center1450 can be configured to transmit the custom-processed controlinformation back to gateway 1440 via the network connection. Thiscommunication is illustrated as data flow “5”.

Gateway 1440 would then transmit the custom-processed controlinformation to bridge unit 1420 via the sensor network nodecommunication infrastructure formed by the plurality of sensor networknodes. This communication through the sensor network node communicationinfrastructure is illustrated as data flow “6”. Again, the communicationthrough the sensor network node communication infrastructure can includecommunication through one or more intervening nodes between gateway 1440and sensor network node 1430.

The custom-processed control information can exit from the sensornetwork node communication infrastructure through sensor network node1430 and be passed to bridge unit 1420. In one embodiment, bridge unit1420 is attached to sensor network node 1430 via a plug-and-playuniversal sensor interface.

Bridge unit 1420 can now present the custom-processed controlinformation to actuator device 1410. This presentation is illustrated asdata flow “7”. In one embodiment, the presentation of custom-processedcontrol information from bridge unit 1420 to actuator device 1410 can beperformed via an external interface based on an industry-definedprotocol. As this example data flow illustrates, custom-processedcontrol information can be generated from information received fromcontrol system 1480 then presented to actuator device 1410 through aknown interface supported by device 1410.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can provide a machineand/or computer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, amachine code and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein.

Those of skill in the relevant art would appreciate that the variousillustrative blocks, modules, elements, components, and methodsdescribed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computersoftware, or combinations of both. To illustrate this interchangeabilityof hardware and software, various illustrative blocks, modules,elements, components, methods, and algorithms have been described abovegenerally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality isimplemented as hardware or software depends upon the particularapplication and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Thoseof skill in the relevant art can implement the described functionalityin varying ways for each particular application. Various components andblocks may be arranged differently (e.g., arranged in a different order,or partitioned in a different way) all without departing from the scopeof the subject technology.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparentto those skilled in the relevant art by a review of the precedingdetailed disclosure. Although a number of salient features of thepresent disclosure have been described above, the principles in thepresent disclosure are capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed and carried out in various ways that would be apparent to oneof skill in the relevant art after reading the present disclosure,therefore the above disclosure should not be considered to be exclusiveof these other embodiments. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purposes ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sensor network, comprising: a gateway device ina building, the gateway device having a network connection to a hostsystem that is remote from the building, the gateway device receivingconfiguration information from the host system via the networkconnection, the configuration information including request intervalinformation; and a wireless node in the building that communicates withthe gateway device via a wireless communication protocol, the wirelessnode connected to a BACnet device using a wired BACnet interface, thewireless node receiving the configuration information from the gatewaydevice via the wireless communication protocol, the configurationinformation enabling a configuration of the wireless node to produce aplurality of sensor data requests for transmission to the BACnet deviceusing a BACnet data communication protocol, wherein a period of timebetween a first of the plurality of sensor data requests and a second ofthe plurality of sensor data requests is determined by the wireless nodebased on the request interval information received from the gatewaydevice, wherein the wireless node is configured to transmit first sensordata received from the BACnet device in response to the first of theplurality of sensor data requests to the gateway device, and isconfigured to transmit second sensor data received from the BACnetdevice in response to the second of the plurality of sensor datarequests to the gateway device.
 2. The sensor network of claim 1,wherein the wireless communication protocol is based on IEEE 802.15.4.3. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the wireless node includes awireless node module attached to a bridge module, the bridge modulesupporting the wired BACnet interface.
 4. The sensor network of claim 1,further comprising a second wireless node that communicates with thegateway device using the wireless communication protocol, the secondwireless node supporting an environmental sensor.
 5. The sensor networkof claim 1, wherein the second wireless node supports a current sensor.6. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein the second wireless nodesupports a voltage sensor.
 7. The sensor network of claim 1, wherein thesecond wireless node supports a pulse sensor.
 8. The sensor network ofclaim 1, wherein the second wireless node supports a wired Modbusinterface for connection to a Modbus device.
 9. The sensor network ofclaim 1, wherein the BACnet device is part of a building control systemthat controls a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.10. The sensor network of claim 9, wherein the wireless node isconfigured to receive, from the gateway device, sensor based informationthat has been processed by the host system and to present the sensorbased information to the building control system via the wired BACnetinterface.
 11. The sensor network of claim 10, wherein the sensor basedinformation is sensor data.
 12. The sensor network of claim 10, whereinthe sensor based information is control action information.
 13. Thesensor network of claim 1, wherein the wireless node is configured toreceive baud rate information and parity information from the gatewaydevice, the baud rate information and the parity information enablingthe wireless node to form a message for communication using the BACnetdata communication protocol.
 14. A method, comprising: receiving, by agateway device in a building via a network connection with a host systemthat is remote from the building, configuration information thatincludes request interval information; receiving, by a wireless node inthe building, the configuration information from the gateway device viaa wireless communication protocol, the wireless node connected to aBACnet device using a wired BACnet interface; configuring the wirelessnode using the configuration information, the configured wireless nodeenabled to produce a plurality of sensor data requests for transmissionto the BACnet device using a BACnet data communication protocol;transmitting, by the wireless node device, a first of the plurality ofsensor data requests and a second of the plurality of sensor datarequests to the BACnet device, wherein a period of time between thefirst of the plurality of sensor data requests and the second of theplurality of sensor data requests is determined by the wireless nodebased on the request interval information received from the gatewaydevice; receiving, by the wireless node, first sensor data via the wiredBACnet interface in response to the first of the plurality of sensordata requests; transmitting, by the wireless node, first sensor datareceived from the BACnet device in response to the first of theplurality of sensor data requests to the gateway device; receiving, bythe wireless node, second sensor data via the wired BACnet interface inresponse to the second of the plurality of sensor data requests; andtransmitting, by the wireless node, second sensor data received from theBACnet device in response to the second of the plurality of sensor datarequests to the gateway device.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein thewireless communication protocol is based on IEEE 802.15.4.
 16. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising receiving, by the wireless node,baud rate information and parity information from the gateway device,the baud rate information and the parity information enabling thewireless node to form a message for communication using the BACnet datacommunication protocol.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the wirelessnode includes a wireless node module attached to a bridge module, thebridge module supporting the wired BACnet interface.
 18. A wirelessdevice, comprising a wireless transceiver that receives a configurationupdate packet from a gateway device at the monitored location viawireless communication, the configuration update packet includingconfiguration information that is delivered to the gateway device by ahost system that is remote from the monitored location, wherein theconfiguration information includes request interval information; a wiredBACnet interface that is configured to connect the wireless device to aBACnet device that supports a BACnet data communication protocol; and acontroller that initiates a transmission of a plurality of sensor datarequests by the wireless device to the BACnet device via the wiredBACnet interface, wherein a period of time between a first of theplurality of sensor data requests and a second of the plurality ofsensor data requests is determined by the wireless device based on therequest interval information received from the gateway device, whereinthe wireless device is configured to transmit first sensor data receivedfrom the BACnet device in response to the first of the plurality ofsensor data requests to the gateway device, and is configured totransmit second sensor data received from the BACnet device in responseto the second of the plurality of sensor data requests to the gatewaydevice.
 19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the BACnet deviceis part of a building control system.
 20. The wireless device of claim19, wherein the wireless device is configured to receive, from thegateway device, sensor based information that has been processed by thehost system and to present the sensor based information to the buildingcontrol system via the wired BACnet interface.